The Black Nursemaid
by Kitake Neru
Summary: Hilda came down with a cold, and Tatsumi meets her temporary stand-in. Will he be able to survive the week without losing his nerves or his sanity?
1. That Nursemaid, A Lie

A/N: Just a little tidbit for Beelzebub fans! Beelzebub, its characters do not belong to me.

* * *

Weekends usually constituted of a marathon of video games for Tatsumi, but for some reason he found his routine disrupted when Hilda simply handed Baby Belze to him, telling him to keep him entertained for a few hours. Since concentrating on a game and making sure Baby Belze doesn't fall off high objects was impossible, he had to be content with reading some new manga he had borrowed from Furuichi.

The second sign that something wasn't right was when Lamia appeared without so much as a 'by-your-leave' and headed straight to Hilda's room. Usually she spared an insult or two for Tatsumi, but not today. He wondered why. But he didn't wonder long, for Alain Delon had spit out a familiar figure from his interdimensional gate right at Tatsumi's feet.

Furuichi sat up, enraged. "I was about to ask a cute girl on Facebook out! Why did you spirit me away, damnit!"

"Furuichi-dono, why would you go to such lengths to get a date?" Alain Delon looked comically wounded. "Am I not enough for you?"

"I WANT A CUTE GIRL!"

Furuichi's rant was conveniently stopped when Lamia came out of Hilda's room and beckoned for the two boys to follow her. In the relative privacy of Tatsumi's bedroom, she gave them a very grave diagnosis.

"She has a cold," Lamia said simply.

Oga Tatsumi blinked. And then blinked again. And then…

"You mean that bitch can actually fall sick?"

That comment earned him a sharp kick to his family jewels, courtesy of a very irritated nurse. "Don't call Sister Hilda that, you worm!"

Tatsumi clutched soundlessly at his crotch, his face scrunched up in indescribable agony. Furuichi sighed and scratched his head. "So… It's a common cold right?"

"Common to demons, yes. But she can't recover properly in this atmosphere," Lamia looked around thoughtfully. "The human world's miasma level is pretty low. At this rate it could be two… no, a month before she is fully healthy again."

From somewhere in the house they heard Hilda sneeze, and then a clap of thunder sounded outside their window.

In sunny weather.

Lamia smiled apologetically as Furuichi paled. "Look, not to point out the obvious but… a sick Hilda can actually influence the weather?"

"Not exactly," Lamia chose her words carefully. "What she can control is the miasma in the air. Usually she keeps it low, but on occasion – like when she's fighting, she manipulates the amount of miasma around her to be used in various ways. That's what you call 'demon power'."

"So when she's sick, she loses control of it?"

"Pretty much, yes. It's only obvious here because your weather is so… boring." Lamia shrugged. "I suggest she return to Hell to recover. It'll take maybe a week."

"A week," Tatsumi gasped as he sat up slowly, still reeling from the kick. "So you're gonna take her and Baby Belze back?"

Lamia opened her mouth to answer but Hilda's voice interrupted them. "No, the Young Master shall not return with me. I am in no condition to care for him." Hilda stood in the doorway, a little pale. Misaki had lent her a light green shawl and instead of her usual lolita dress, she was in her flannel pajamas.

"Not a problem is it?" Furuichi frowned. "There are other demon maids – URK!" He choked when Hilda kicked him flat onto his back. "Why should I allow any of them near the Young Master? Are you an idiot? Do you think any of them can care of him properly?" Her tirade spent, she lapsed into a coughing fit.

Tatsumi giggled at the twitching Furuichi, always one to take delight in someone else's misfortune. "You're an idiot. Furuichi. Idiot."

"Master Belze won't listen to the other nursemaids," Lamia tipped her head as if forgetting something. "But…"

Hilda looked at her, and understanding dawned in her emerald eyes. "I see. If it's him, the Young Master will certainly obey."

"Who wouldn't?" Lamia muttered as she went to get Alain Delon. There was an awkward feeling in the atmosphere, so much that Furuichi dared to venture; "Who is this 'him' you're talking about? You can't mean... the Demon King?"

"You surely belittle me if you think I have the audacity to rely on the King for such a trivial matter," Hilda glared. "We're summoning someone whom the Young Master will obey without fail, however it wholly depends on whether he is actually available or not."

Two hours later Tatsumi returned from the convenience store to find Hilda talking to a tall man dressed in an immaculate black swallowtail suit. Though by all rights Tatsumi should be surprised that Hilda was _talking_, not _commanding_, and that said conversation was taking place in _his_ room of all places, he wasn't. He was too used to strangers popping in and out of his personal space that this latest event held absolutely no significance in his mind.

But the fact that the stranger was _holding_ Baby Belze was surprising. And Belze looked… well… obedient, to put it simply. He was just lying still in the stranger's arms, his large eyes trained on Hilda.

Hilda noticed Tatsumi and nodded in a bleary, sleepy way. "This is the Young Master's human parent, Oga Tatsumi," She turned to her guest; "I hope you will get along for the next few days."

The stranger fixed his gaze on Tatsumi, who suddenly had the strongest urge to run. Far away.

Instead he twitched. "S'up?"

"A pleasure young man. You may call me Sebastian," The man smiled. Tatsumi felt his skin crawl, and it appeared that Sebastian noticed it too because that creepy smile just _widened_. "I will be looking after the prince while Hilda is away, so let's get along, shall we?"

"I've informed your parents that he is my brother," Hilda said heavily as she got to her feet and approached Alain Delon who had already opened the portal to Hell. "Of course, you are to support that story, Tatsumi. Do behave while I am away."

And with Sebastian's smile burned into the back of his head, Tatsumi had that fleeting thought that he'd endure all the freaky weather for a month if he had too if it meant keeping Hilda's pseudo-brother away from him.

"Dah," Baby Belze said flatly.


	2. That Nursemaid, Scary

A/N: Second chapter of this (seriously weird) fic. Enjoy! And I'm sorry if there is a little OOC, I just like torturing Oga too much!

Disclaimer: Beelzebub and Kuroshitsuji belong to their respective creators.

* * *

It's said that 'normal' is just a perception. To people living in a fairytale, suddenly breaking into song and happy endings are 'normal'. To people living a nightmare, 'normal' is hearing screams and seeing bloodshed everywhere. To Tatsumi, 'normal' was having strangers enter his life, beat the crap out of him (or get crap beaten out of them) and then disappear without saying goodbye. Not that he'd like them to – most of the time he'd be more than happy to boot them out but that's life for you.

And he supposed it was 'normal' when his dense family once again took another stranger into their bosom without a single shred of suspicion. Sometimes he wondered if he was adopted, because he sure as hell couldn't understand how they could be so _accepting_.

Then again, if they could believe their delinquent teenage son could get a buxom gothic-lolita beauty knocked up, he supposed accepting that said goth-lolita beauty had an elder brother who was a butler to a distinguished family in England who just _happened_ to be in Japan at the same time she needed to go back to Macao (Makai, whatever) was not a long stretch. Not a long stretch by far. In fact the happiest one seemed to be Misaki, who couldn't take her eyes off Sebastian. Nevermind that Tatsumi had bluntly pointed out that technically (lie-wise) Sebastian was his brother-in-law and hence off-limits.

He got a black eye for that.

To be frank, Tatsumi wasn't sure what to think. He had been so used to having Hilda around that the idea of a temporary replacement never crossed his mind. In the past when Hilda was absent, she was just that. Absent. Not there. Whether she went back to Hell or was kidnapped by insane demons, she never saw the need to provide a substitute even if her absence stretched on for days.

_Most likely because she doesn't believe anyone can take care of Baby Belze like she can._ But, Tatsumi thought as he watched Sebastian feed Baby Belze; he doesn't do things like Hilda either. To be fair, Sebastian certainly wasn't the supportive, doting caretaker that Hilda was. He was more firm, quiet and gentle… though every time he smiled Tatsumi had to clamp down the urge to punch him. And Baby Belze turned into a model toddler in Sebastian's hands – obedient, placid, non-fussy.

Tatsumi wondered if it was really because Sebastian was good at his job, or because Baby Belze recognized a superior strength and bowed to it. For there was not a shred of doubt in Tatsumi's mind that Sebastian was indeed a superior power. It had nothing to do with the fact that his presence dominated the room like thick fog, or that he made Tatsumi's skin creep just by being in the same space as he.

No, it was because Hilda; stubborn, headstrong, proud Hilda who bowed not even to Behemoth, had addressed him respectfully.

He couldn't think of any other thing that made Sebastian scarier.

"Oi," Tatsumi turned to him that evening as he was preparing to tuck Baby Belze to bed. Since it wasn't right for Sebastian to sleep in the same room as Misaki (though she said she didn't mind it _one bit_), he laid out a futon on the floor of Tatsumi's bedroom.

"… Just askin' but… are you even remotely related to Hilda?"

"I'm not." A pause; "I am fairly...distantly related to the young prince. You could say he is my… nephew, I suppose," Sebastian mused.

"So that stuff about being a butler is a lie as well?"

"Well," A slow smile spread on his face; "It is true I did serve one of the most distinguished families in England… but that was back in Victorian times."

His grin widened even further when he saw a multitude of expressions play over Tatsumi's features and he mumbled something intelligible before turning in for the night. Still, Tatsumi couldn't shake the feeling that he was sharing a room with a very dangerous, very lethal creature. And he still had quite some time to go before said creature disappears from his life.

His last thought before slipping into dreams was that Hilda usually sang Baby Belze a lullaby, and he kind of missed it.


	3. That Nursemaid, Disguise

**Chapter 3**

**The Black Nursemaid**

~ That Nursemaid, Disguise ~

* * *

One could say many things about Oga Tatsumi. He was brash, uncouth, foul-mouthed and a bit of an idiot. He was also gentlemanly and kind (when in the mood). He was loyal to his friends and comrades and when it came to women, he had the patience of a saint.

But if it's one thing he didn't have, it's hindsight. He should have known the complacency of the weekend was not a good sign of things to come. He should have known…

But Tatsumi being Tatsumi, he remained unaware of it until the shit had struck the fan.

The first indication that his week was about to be hell came in the form of Kunieda Aoi. Surprises of surprises, she was standing with Takayuki outside his door that Monday morning, her expression dark. Upon seeing Sebastian following Tatsumi out, she dropped her satchel and instantly drew her wooden sword. "Oga," She said slowly, keeping her voice steady and even; "Who is that?"

Inside, she was quaking. _Quaking._ Aoi knew what fear was, had faced it and triumphed again and again. She had thought the worst was when she felt the terrible aura that Tatsumi fought against while saving Hilda, but this…

"Huh? Oh, this is…" Tatsumi blinked, suddenly at a loss for words. He had never been a man of eloquence, preferring to let others make their own conjunctions. It was this trait that so often got him into trouble, but nothing he couldn't punch his way out of. However this was Aoi of all people. What should he say? The lie? The truth? Choices, choices.

"Hilda's replacement," He finally said and Furuichi stared at Sebastian, slack-jawed. "For real?"

"Temporary," Tatsumi returned grouchily, somewhat bothered by the idea of Hilda never coming back. "And stop starin', idiot. People will think you're gay or somethin'. A gay pervert."

"Sebastian, please," The demon nursemaid smiled and Tatsumi twitched despite not being able to see it.

"… You've got to be kidding me," Aoi said hoarsely. She had lowered her sword but still looked like she was half a step away from decapitating somebody. "I'd believe Hecatos or Naga would somehow be coerced to be Hilda's temp, but he's…" She struggled and failed, deciding to glare instead at Sebastian. "Where is Hilda anyway?"

"Oh my, you are certainly very perceptive," Sebastian chuckled and the dark fog that surrounded him dropped to a faint gray mist. Level-wise, he was now no more threatening than Alain Delon… until he smiles, that is. "Is this better?"

"Hilda's sick, she went back home for a bit," Tatsumi said simply as if that was all the explanation needed. Hell, that's all that mattered to him anyway. He had neither time nor the patience for anything more than that. "And he's not a nursemaid, he's a…" He flailed for the right word and Sebastian helpfully suggested; "A butler?"

"Right. Whatever." Tatsumi started to walk and Aoi stiffened. "Wait, why is he following you?"

Tatsumi blinked. "He's coming, of course." As if that was the natural order of the universe.

"He isn't!" Aoi was borderline hysterical now. It would have been comical had Tatsumi been in the mood but at the moment his patience was wafer-thin. He had woken up to see Sebastian's face hovering over his with that unnerving smile of his. Had Tatsumi been a cat, he would have lost at least three of his nine lives. Then his family had gushed over Sebastian's fantastic cooking skills, which put Tatsumi off his food (a pity, he rather liked steak and eggs in the morning; Hilda never made it). Misaki insisted that Sebastian stay at home and watch Hilda's favourite soap opera and that was when Tatsumi decided that he would come along to school, no questions asked.

"What's the fuss?" Takayuki looked at Aoi, stepping in to diffuse the charged atmosphere. "Hilda comes with us to school every day, you know. Makes sense for her temp to do the same."

"Except Hilda doesn't dress like a waiter and doesn't feel _dangerous_," Aoi ground out as she tailed the boys. "Besides, he's too old to be a student!"

"Then let him be a janitor or something," Tatsumi said disinterestedly and Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "I simply need to assimilate into your school, don't I? Why not I become a teacher?"

"Can you teach anything?" Tatsumi drawled grumpily and Sebastian smiled again, this time showing some teeth. "I am very good in English and History."

"That could work," Takayuki nodded and Sebastian smiled. "Until later, then," And promptly vanished into the trees. Aoi watched the spot where he had literally melted into the shadows until the two boys called for her to hurry up.

Still if anyone thought it was odd that the former Queen of the Red Tails kept her wooden sword in sight throughout the day and looked like she would be ambushed at any time, nobody had the idiocy to point it out.

The second indication of trouble was literally trouble himself.

"OGAAAA!" Saotome Zenjyuurou's enraged voice nearly rattled windowpanes and caused birds to disperse from their perch. A second later the man himself appeared at the door of Tatsumi's classroom, his signature cigarette tucked at the corner of his mouth but unlighted. He looked around suspiciously and then dragged Tatsumi out without a single word. Takayuki continued reading his book unperturbed, and Aoi could only sigh.

On the roof, Tatsumi beheld Sebastian standing there in a neat black suit and tie with a pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He figured this was the demon's idea of what a teacher looked like.

Zenjyuurou was _not_ amused. "Tell me what he just told me isn't true," The old man gruffly demanded. Tatsumi blinked. "What'd he say?"

"That he's filling in for the wet nurse while she's sick."

"That's about it, yeah," Tatsumi nodded as he picked his ear and Baby Belze, perched on his back nodded in tandem. "Dah."

"Don't fuck with me!" Zenjyuurou roared as he knuckled Tatsumi. "You expect me to believe a royal-class demon like him would want to fill in for a wet nurse! Do you think I was born yesterday!"

"Hilda's family and I are old acquaintances," Sebastian offered in way of explanation. "Since Prince Belze is incredibly picky about the people who take care of him, there really weren't many options."

"You – " Zenjyuurou started to say something but thought against it. Muttering something under his breath, he jabbed a finger at Sebastian. "You, I'll be watching you. You can use your tricks on the kids but not me, y'hear?"

"Certainly," Sebastian's smile just widened. "And your demon sends his regards, Mr. Royal Contractor. He misses you."

Tatsumi considered his 'weird-o-checklist' of the day complete when Zenjyuurou turned five different shades of red and stalked off the roof like a jilted girlfriend.

"Well now, you should be getting back to class," Sebastian patted Tatsumi on the shoulder and pinched Baby Belze's cheek. "I will see you during English period, You Highness."

Somehow Tatsumi wished _he_ was the one who was sick and could stay home all week. And he had a feeling everything would just go downhill from there.

* * *

A/N: I do love torturing him. Next chapter we will get a cameo appearance from another demon! You may guess who ;p


	4. That Nursemaid, Popular

Disclaimer: Beelzebub and Kurishitsuji doesn't belong to me, so there.

A/N: I don't know whom to pity more; Tatsumi or Sebastian.

**The Black Nursemaid**

**Chapter 4**

~ That Nursemaid, Popular ~

* * *

Furuichi Takayuki was developing a serious case of the Twitches. To be fair, he developed the Twitches ever since Hilda crashed into Tatsumi's room, but it had never been this bad before. Now he wasn't sure whether it was as bad as the Sweatdrop, or worse. He just worried that the facial tic would become permanent.

"Would anyone like to volunteer to read page 24?" Sebastian the English teacher looked expectantly around the classroom and smiled when twelve hands eagerly shot up. All of them (coincidentally) female. All of them were alert, eyes shining… two things that _never_ happened in an English class before.

Takayuki Twitched.

Tatsumi told him that their English teacher, Miss Aoshika had mysteriously fallen sick and would be indisposed for the next week or so. Of course, Tatsumi narrated this with his '_I really don't understand what's going on, I really don't_' face which could only mean that Miss Aoshika's 'mysterious' illness had everything to do with Sebastian. Nobody seemed to mind, however. The girls especially were more than happy to receive a good-looking sub and they weren't shy to show it.

Aoi (who didn't count among the Eager Twelve) preferred not to raise her hand – not unless it was holding a weapon. Instead she simply stared down at page 24 of the regulation English textbook, wondering how on earth could her life get so screwed up. It had to be demons, she mentally ticked off her list. First it was a baby demon who paired up with a somewhat demonic human boy, who was coincidentally her schoolmate. Then it was a demonic nursemaid who somehow passed herself off as the demonic human boy's wife who _also_ ended up as her schoolmate. Then came demon armies to destroy said human boy. Followed by a perverted demon who ended up as her contract. Now…

"Kunieda, are you paying attention?" Sebastian's voice, so alarmingly close almost caused her to reflexively jump backwards. But she caught herself and gulped. "…Sir?"

Sebastian stood in front of her desk, that irritating smile everpresent on his face. She had to hand it to him though; any human dense enough to not feel his demonic presence would see him as a benign young man. A handsome, benign young man.

Aoi could practically feel the _hate_ radiating from the twelve girls whom Sebastian had ignored in her favor.

"Since you are paying attention, will you kindly read out page 24 for us?" He asked pleasantly.

Both Takayuki and Aoi Twitched. The ominous air thickened to the point where even Tatsumi was fidgeting uneasily, his normal pokerface dotted with sweat.

Aoi slowly picked up her book and began to read, feeling her mood slipping further and further into darkness.

_And now… A demon teacher. What a great highschool memory to tell my grandchildren._

* * *

"Hilda?"

The nursemaid looked up from the book she was reading to see Yolda enter her chambers. "What a surprise," Hilda blinked.

Yolda scowled at Hilda's mildly sarcastic comment. "Well I heard you caught a cold, so I came to see how bad it was. Who knows, maybe it could be Succrosi, or a bad case of Bronchitis…"

"You wish," Hilda hmph-ed. "It is just a common cold and I'll be fine in a few days."

"A pity," Yolda grinned. "You didn't take Prince Belze along?" Yolda looked around, puzzled. "Will that wreck of a human parent be able to handle him without you?"

"This isn't the first time I've left him for a few days," Hilda smiled as she set down the book and smoothed the covers of the bed. "He'll be able to get by. But this time I actually got help since I really am still wary," She looked pointedly at Yolda, who reddened. "Look, you know it wasn't Prince En's idea that last time so don't look at me like I'm a villain, alright?"

"I know," Hilda smiled slightly. "But I cannot predict neither Behemoth nor his insane son, so I had to leave some protection."

"Uhuh. Who did you get to fill in for you?" Yolda perched on the edge of the bed, toying with a lock of her long hair. "That nosy Mathilda? Oh wait – one of Alain Delon's acquaintances?"

"Tempting, but no. I asked Sebastian for help."

Yolda froze, lost her balance and slipped off the bed with an unladylike shriek before shooting up almost immediately. "You got _who?_"

"Sebastian Michealis," Hilda repeated calmly. "You remember, he was the King's – "

"I know who he is," Yolda hissed, waving her hand dismissively. "You left the Prince in the care of an insane contract demon?"

"He's hardly insane," Hilda shrugged. "And you know how Prince Belze is; he won't obey someone unless the person is very strong… or very evil."

Yolda pursed her lips and folded her arms. "Well lucky you to find someone who's _both. _But you forgot something, Hilda."

"Did I?"

Yolda nodded sagely. "You forgot Sebastian is _very_ popular."


	5. That Nursemaid, Goodbye

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: Final chapter. A little OgaxHilda here, cuz THEY NEED LUVIN! Also regarding Saotome's name, I probably misspelled it but oh well.

**The Black Nursemaid**

**Chapter 5**

~ That Nursemaid, Goodbye ~

* * *

Two days.

Two days and Tatsumi was really feeling the strain. Aside from Aoi and Saotome, everyone else who came into contact with Sebastian noticed nothing strange about him. And that alone was super weird.

Yesterday he was so high strung that he punched a group of thugs who tried to attack him into the ground. Using demon power. It was good that nobody died, but it just went to show just how close he was to losing his sanity. Sebastian was on the edge of his consciousness like a bad dream. Every word he spoke grated on Tatsumi's patience, and honestly he knew why - he was shit scared of the demon. There was something incredibly evil, incredibly terrifying about Sebastian that could not be matched by anything he had ever encountered so far. He briefly wondered what would have happened if Sebastian had been Baby Belze's nursemaid all along - hell, Tatsumi would probably be dead at the first encounter.

"Lord Sebastiaaaan!"

Oga Tatsumi twitched at the shrill, foreign voice. No, scratch that. He knew who it was… but he forgot her name. Nevertheless he lifted a foot and connected it squarely against the incoming missile headed straight for Sebastian, noting the satisfying 'whump' upon impact.

Baby Belze peered over Tatsumi's shoulder curiously. "Dabuh?"

"Beats me," The teenager groused as the human missile slid off the sole of his shoe. Oh wait, she's not human. No worries then.

"You rude worm!" Sachura shrieked as she clutched her injured face. "How dare you interrupt my greeting with Lord Sebastian? I'll shoot you full of – "

"Hello, Sachura," Sebastian smoothly cut in and she instantly changed to a shining ball of gushy goo. "Lord Sebastian! This Sachura is embarrassed that you saw that," She hastily wiped her face and then latched herself onto his arm. Tatsumi could take only two seconds of that before he began walking without looking back. "I'm gone. Take your time."

Baby Belze gave Sebastian a merry wave as father and son carried on, leaving the demon butler behind. "You think this is funny don't you, Baby Belze?" Tatsumi finally spoke up grumpily. "First Hilda goes, then that creepy guy shows up, turns Kunieda into a paranoid freak and got Saotome's panties in a bunch and now he has other demons leeching onto him."

"Adah," Baby Belze sounded unhappy as well. "Abuh, abuh?"

"Hell no," Tatsumi kicked a pebble and suddenly froze. There was a scent in the air… a familiar scent that made his heart skip a beat. Baby Belze was frozen too, his eyes widening.

And following instinct, Tatsumi walked forward faster and faster until he was practically running. His house was just a few meters away, across the playground and round the corner –

And upon zeroing on his front door, he screeched to a halt, elated. He knew it. He _knew_ it!

"Why Tatsumi," Hilda stood there with her parasol keeping her cool in the evening sun, a small smile playing on her lips; "If I didn't know better I'd say you missed me."

As if on cue, she sneezed and a light shower poured out from the bright sky, dousing Tatsumi in a cool spray. The shower ended just as suddenly as it began and Hilda covered her nose awkwardly.

Tatsumi blinked and stepped forward. "You're still sick," He stated, staring hard at her.

"So I am," Was the cool, dignified reply. "Don't worry, it's not contagious."

"That's not the problem here! Why are you back?"

She blinked and put a hand on her hip. "Well now I know for sure that you _don't_ miss me. Shall I return to Hell and leave you to fend off Sebastian's fan club on your own?"

"Abuh, daaaaa!" Baby Belze scolded Tatsumi with a thump on his head, making the boy scowl. "What?"

"He said 'Sachura's not the only one', you fool," Hilda closed her parasol and gently took the infant prince from Tatsumi's back. "Sebastian has a very huge following in Hell. You could almost say it's a cult," Hilda kissed Baby Belze's forehead lovingly. "When they found out that he had gone to the human world without telling them… well you get the idea."

Tatsumi blinked as he watched Hilda fawn over Baby Belze. "… Demon invasion?"

"Behemoth's Pillar Squad is chicken feed compared to Sebastian's fan club," She said wryly and saw Sebastian and Sachura approaching, the latter chattering non-stop. "Sachura is the fanclub's vice-president, by the way."

"Hilda?" Sebastian approached with mild surprise. "Have you recovered?"

"I should be fine now, thank you," Hilda beamed a very uncharacteristic smile at him. "I hope you didn't have too much trouble."

"It isn't fair that you can summon him without clearing it with us first, Hilda!" Sachura pouted. "He doesn't belong to you, y'know!"

Hilda cooly ignored Sachura, which irked her all the more. But Tatsumi didn't care. He strolled into the house, leaving the three demons outside to sort out their little argument.

"Oh, Tatsu!" Misaki noticed him amble into the kitchen. "Hilda's back! Have you seen her yet?"

"Uhuh," Tatsumi found a jug of iced tea in the fridge and poured himself a glass. Misaki perched on the counter, looking forlorn. "Guess her brother will be going back to England now eh? A pity."

"Mak – Macao," Tatsumi corrected her, then corrected himself. "Give it a rest you hag. He's not for you – Ghph!" He spluttered when Misaki kicked him halfway through a gulp of tea. "Anyway," She grinned slyly; "Aren't you glad your girl's back? You've been looking out of sorts since she left."

Outside he heard Hilda sneeze again. The sky darkened momentarily and there was a flash of lightning, then Sachura shrieked. Baby Belze gave a delighted cry and Tatsumi _thought_ he smelled something singed. Hair… maybe clothes.

"Oh yeah," He chuckled devilishly as the unease in his heart cleared. "You bet I am."

* * *

**Epilogue**

"So if Sachura's the VP," Tatsumi asked suddenly as Hilda prepared Baby Belze for bed; "Who's the prez? Yolda?"

Hilda couldn't stop the twinkle in her eyes. Kissing Baby Belze goodnight, she walked to the door and paused to switch off the light. "It's Prince En," She said, her eyes glittering with mirth.

Tatsumi repressed a shudder and rolled on his side. He was _really _glad Hilda came back.

**FIN**


End file.
